Mayans are wrong as new doomsday rumor spurs run on candles (2)

The original post is unclear what story the rumormongers used to convince people it might possibly be true.

Zhou said she had managed to convince his father that the rumor is groundless by showing him scientific knowledge he found on the internet.

Many Web users connected the panic buying of candles with the salt-buying frenzy last year, which was triggered by rumors that iodized salt could help ward off radiation poisoning from a crippled Japanese nuclear power plant.

Worried Chinese shoppers stripped stores and supermarkets of salt, especially in the coastal provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

The panic buying of candles and salt reflects people's anxiety and fears of reality, said Lu Jiehua, a professor with the Department of Sociology at Peking University.

"This panic buying not only shows people's fear of an upcoming apocalypse, but also reflects their sense of uncertainty toward life and society," said Lu, adding that such uncertainty combined with nonsensical rumors can trigger irrational behavior.

Lu suggested that better education in science will help ease people's anxiety and fears.